Black Myth: Wukong Review: Moe Gives It a 8.5 / 10

Black Myth: Wukong is a boss rush wearing an epic's clothes, and I mean that as praise with a warning label. Game Science, a studio most of the West had never heard of, shipped a Journey to the West action game so pretty it looked fake in trailers. It wasn't fake. The fur, the snow, the temples: this thing is a looker.

The bosses are the game. Dozens of them, each one a duel with a personality: tigers, dragons, monks, and one very rude scorpion. Your staff combos flow, the transformations let you borrow enemy forms, and the whole ride is built on Chinese mythology that doesn't pause to explain itself to tourists. I loved that confidence.

Dozens of bosses, each one a duel with a personality.

The warnings: the levels between bosses are pretty hallways, invisible walls will bonk your nose mid-exploration, and the difficulty spikes don't ask permission. Chapter 3's snowfields also test the map's readability, which is to say there isn't one.

An 8.5: a spectacular first swing from Game Science, held back by the spaces between its incredible fights.